Often times, glass may experience damage from an object impacting on the surface of the glass that causes not only surface damage, but also sub-surface damage. For example, a relatively small projectile hitting a glass windshield of a vehicle may cause a small surface damage that has most of the damage occurring sub-surface, and may be commonly known as a chip, a bulls-eye, and a star break, hereon out break. If untreated, the break may initiate a crack that may propagate through the glass, and eventually, the entire glass windshield may need to be replaced. However, if the break is timely treated, there is a good chance that the break may not initiate a crack resulting in preservation of the glass windshield. Because most of the damage may occur under the surface of the glass, treating the break may be difficult.
Commonly, treating a break in glass may involve delivering a type of resin in liquid form into the break, and allowing the resin to cure (i.e., harden). The resin may cure into a hardened structure within the break, thereby sealing the break to prevent further damage to the glass. Various methods may be utilized to deliver the resin into the break.
For example, a common method involves placing a resin injection system onto the surface of the glass, where the resin injection system may be held in place by suction cups on the resin injection system. Once the resin injection system is in place, commonly, the resin injection system facilitates injection of the resin in liquid form into the break. Injection of the resin may be achieved by forming a vacuum within the break, and subsequently, injecting the resin.
Once the resin is injected into the break, thereby filling the break, the resin may be cured to form a hardened structure within the break. Often times, curing the resin may involve exposing the resin to various types of lights such as ultraviolet (UV) light. A common method of exposing the resin to UV light involves a technician holding a lamp having a UV bulb, and exposing the resin to the lamp. Exposing the resin to the UV light may involve periodically moving the lamp around the resin injection system. Note, commonly, the resin injection system may be in place during the curing process to facilitate maximum filling of the break because the resin may reduce in volume as it cures. Removing the resin injection system during the curing process may cause voids in the break, thereby reducing the structural integrity of the glass. However, having the resin injection system in place during the curing process has some disadvantages.
For example, having the resin injection system in place during the curing process prevents substantially all of the resin being exposed to the lamp at one time. That is, as previously described, the lamp utilized to cure the resin is periodically moved around the resin injection system, thereby exposing portions of the resin to the lamp. Because portions of the resin may be exposed to the lamp, the resin may not cure uniformly (i.e., some portions of the resin may receive more concentrated light than other portions for varying durations of time). Non-uniform curing of the resin may affect the overall structural integrity of the hardened resin in the break.
In the example of a glass windshield on a vehicle, even providing electrical power to the lamp for curing the resin may pose some difficulties. For example, commonly, lamps utilized to cure the resin may require specific types of electrical power such as a specific voltage. Common sources of electrical power for the lamps may be a battery included in the vehicle and a common wall outlet. Because these common sources of electrical power differ, a lamp configured to receive electrical power from the battery may not receive electrical power from the common wall outlet, and vice versa.